Grey Sky
by Kitten Little
Summary: High school sophomore Addie Whitlock moves to Maine, all while struggling to deal with her strange abilities, her parents' deaths, and her older brother. What happens when she discovers that a boy in her homeroom looks just like a dead ancestor from 1860?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Addie's been flying around in my head for months now, as well as Savannah, the mc in my other new story, Sinclair.**

**I'm not actually Southern, but my paternal grandmother is from Missouri and my foster family was from Texas. Meaning, I'm a white Yankee girl, so I'm not too good at writing Southern accents but I think I understand the culture. Deal with it or offer to help if you have a problem.**

When I woke that morning, I ran into the bathroom and sat on the floor. Seconds before I put my head in the toilet, I heard my brother yell, "There's no need to be nervous, Addie."

I stopped vomiting long enough to yell back, "You're nervous too, Jazz!"

Jasper Whitlock was my older brother and legal guardian. We were both from one of Huston, Texas' older families, going all the way back to Jonathan Whitlock and his two siblings, Jasper and Adeline. Both of our namesakes died during the War. I don't mean 1918 or 1945. I mean 1861. The one most people call the Civil War or the War of the Rebellion. My family just calls it the War.

Japer number 1 had been in the Confederate army and died at the Battle of Galveston, a major at the tender age of twenty or twenty one. Adeline had died from a fever only days after the family learned that Jasper was no more.

My mother Savannah, who was not a Whitlock but a run-of-the-mill Smith, swore that Jasper never died. Whether he was a spirit or some sort of immortal being, I never heard. She had died in a mental hospital a few years ago, where Grandma and Grandpa Smith locked her up after our father died in a car accident. Jazz and I don't normally talk about it. Neither one of us could stand our grandparents.

Jazz sat next to be on the bathroom, holding my curly (almost to the point of fuzziness) blonde hair out of the way. "I'm sorry. It's hard not to be nervous for you. Neither one of us has gone to public school or lived outside of Texas."

In fact, Maine was as far away from Huston as we could get without leaving the country or moving to Hawaii or Alaska. We had been living here for two months while Jazz adjusted to his new job at the hospital and the legal guardian paperwork came through. The main focus of my time was getting rid of my annoying accent, a subject I was failing. The other thing I tried to was to avoid anyone with negative emotions.

My stomach did not like me when I got around people who were angry, sad, scared or anything relatively negative. If I was feeling the same thing at the time I encountered such a person or if they were really unhappy, I could be doubled over in pain, if not vomiting like I was now.

As Jazz's nervousness and concern rolled over me, the last of what had been in my stomach entered the toilet. "That's not helping, Jazz," I mumbled.

"Right." His hand moved away, lessening the pain slightly. "Are you sure you can handle being around so people?"

"If I avoid eye contact, the affect should be watered down by the number of people who are happy. Unless I'm in Public Speaking or Drama I should be fine. Please stop worrying," I groaned.

"I have to get to work anyway, kiddo. Come back home and call me if you can't handle it."

I dressed in my favorite fifties style black with white polka dots skirt and a white turtle neck. Slipping on my new black and white checker board rain boots, I quickly grabbed my lunch (almond butter and raisin sandwich, carrot sticks, and sweet tea) and my three notebooks. The school was two blocks from the small New England style home we were renting, so the walk was short.

Once my stomach told me that the lady had the front desk was positive, I stepped inside, smiled pleasantly and said, "Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm Adeline Whitlock, the new student."

She looked at my naturally tan skin and out of place outfit and asked, "Aren't you from Texas?"

I blushed. Once, before my father died, I had dreamed of being a debutant. Both of my grandmothers (one to make up for having no daughters and the other because her daughter was crazy) encouraged it, and I worked really hard toward being prefect. I wasn't wearing makeup and all the stuff in my Texas cold weather wardrobe were two year old long skirts and turtle necks. I hadn't gotten enough money to buy pants since this all started.

"Yes, ma'am. My brother just got a job at the hospital."

She smiled, but a wave of invisible pity nearly knocked me over. Clearly, even people from the other side of the country knew I was an orphan. "Your homeroom is number 12, Adeline. Mr. Philips will give you your class schedule there." Then she passed me a half sheet of pink paper. "And you're late, so he'll want one of these."

The main high school was one story, with one long hallway. Even classrooms (2 to 20) were on one side and odd (1 to 19) were on the other. I went to the middle of the hall and then entered the classroom on the left. I quickly stepped inside and the teacher barked, "Who are you?"

"Adeline Whitlock, sir," I recited. I heard a distinct but barely audible gasp from the back of the room. No one else seemed to notice, so I shrugged them off, focusing more on than floor then my teacher's anger or my classmates.

"Take a seat next to Hale," he ordered, pointing to seat in the corner next to a pale blonde boy who looked too old to be in high school, let alone a sophomore.

I nodded, guessing that being too polite might be stupid and mistaken for sassing. I headed for my seat.

"After you introduce yourself to the class."

I stepped back to my place beside him. Public speaking was okay, as long as I didn't focus on one person. "My name is Adeline Whitlock," I said in my sweetest pageant-approved voice, the only way I could act like I couldn't feel the negativity coming from the teacher. "I am a sophomore, and yes, I am from Houston Texas and I talk funny. I'm living here because my brother is doing his residency at the county hospital. If ya'll ask me what happened to my parents, you _will_ be punched, no matter who you happen to be or how much trouble I get in." I fake skipped to my seat. "Thank you." Then I sat.

An unexpected wave of every emotion imaginable and some I couldn't hit me instantly. My smirk quickly faded to a forced 'Barbie' smile and I gripped the table. It was both the stomach cramping pain that came of negativity and the dizzying high that came from extreme happiness. I had never felt both at once because groups this big diluted it.

I barely managed to look up and notice that Hale, or whatever the name of the really pale 'I'm too old for this' man sitting was, was studying me. I tried to take a mental note of his expressions and feelings but my vision blurred from the pain and I started to slide out of my seat. I didn't even have time to think about hiding what caused the sudden change in my health.

The bell rang and Hale left the classroom, taking the emotion sickness with him. My encounter with him had lasted only seconds, but I was pretty sure he was dipolar or something. Why else would it feel like every emotion in the room passed through him before it got to me?

I grabbed my notebooks and lunch and walked back to Mr. Philips, back to my 'I'm-as-normal-as-a-girl-from-Texas-living-in-Maine-possibly-can-be' persona. "The secretary said you had my schedule?" I asked softly, trying not to provoke him. I had had enough people-induced illness for one day.

He handed me two pieces of paper, and sarcastically said, "I'd warn you not to cross me, but it appears that I need to worry about not crossing_ you_."

The white one was obviously my timetable and he had handed back the pink slip I had forgot I passed to him. I read the white one first.

Whitlock, Adeline R.

Homeroom: Philips, rm. 12

1st period: Gym

2nd period: Geometry, Johnson, rm. 6

3rd period: English, Greene, rm. 17

Lunch

4th period: US History, Part 2, rm. 3

5th period: Intermediate Biology, rm. 9/10

6th period: Independent Study, Philips, rm. 12

While I walked to the gym, (which was outside and across the parking lot) I began regret asking for Independent Study rather than sit in Spanish Exploratory or help in the library. I had already learned a fair amount of French for no reason at all and declared that I had no desire to be trilingual. They had probably just stuck me in Philips' classroom because he was my homeroom teacher, not because he actually knew French.

Gym was delightfully emotionally uneventful. No one got hurt and they were all too distracted to feel anything deeper than surprise. I made a note to remember that Dodge Ball was a great game to play when I was not in the mood to deal with someone else's problems.

In fact, I was happy. Without knowing about gym, I hadn't needed to dress down, so I could watch. There was large, curly headed boy with stone-colored skin lazily grazing people with the red rubber balls. When he was finally hit, it seemed like it would have been easy to avoid. I rubbed my eyes. It must have been the lack of sleep. Surely, a jock-like boy like him would want to win, not purposefully loose.

"That's Emmett Cullen," a girl in a very nice looking track suit explained, stepping in to walk beside me to Geometry. "All of the doctor's kids are really weird. Don't worry, he rarely talks to anyone."

I ignored her words, just happy that she was feeling a vague positive emotion. My personal favorite.

"I wasn't expecting you to be able to say something like that," she continued. "I mean, Mr. Philips was livid. Didn't you notice?"

_No, _I thought. _I was too busy trying not to fall out of my seat because of the psychopath sitting next to me. _"Is the closest fractional equivalent to pi twenty-two over seven?" I replied, honestly.

"What?"

"Never mind. I'm Addie." I held out my hand for her to shake.

"Gretchen. How many detentions did you get?"

I looked down at the slip of pink paper.

Student Name: Adeline Whitlock

Assigning Teacher: Philips

Homeroom Teacher: Philips

Punishment: eleven days detention

Reason(s): one day for tardiness, one week for back talk, one week for intimidating other students/staff

Please give this slip to your parent/legal guardian(s) to sign

I stared at that last line, fearfully. "It's only my first day," I groaned. "Jazz is going to kill me!"

Gretchen bit her lip. "You'll need him to sign that before tomorrow. I can drive you to the hospital after school if you want."

"Yeah, he's supposed to be there for three days, almost straight. There's no way I can walk that far. Thanks Gretchen."

"Hey, no problem. See you at lunch."

No one else talked to me and I only caught one spiky haired female freshman smiling at me. Everyone else seemed to either fear me, or had already forgotten I existed. It turned out the Gretchen and I had a lot in common. She was from Idaho but her dad had gotten a job out here.

"No one likes me either," she said, patting my hand. "Small towns are too full of gossip for their own good." She read my face. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to barf up that sandwich."

I looked up from my carrots and I tried to smile. Hale was sitting a few tables over, and it felt like he was the center of a strange emotion hole. It took all my strength not to go over there and likely be destroyed by too many emotions. Instead, I ran for the bathroom, hit my knees and emptied my stomach into the smelly public toilet.

"Addie?" Gretchen asked, coming into the bathroom. "Oh, my god, Addie! I'm getting the nurse! It'll only take a second!"

I had barely heard her. As the door closed behind her, I left a brief moment of calm. It only lasted a few seconds, but it came as such a relief, I didn't care. It wasn't like there was anything left for me to barf up. My head went back in the toilet, my body lurching with dry heaves.

"Adeline?" a gentle voice asked. "Can you hear me?" I nodded, heaving. "We called an ambulance."

I groaned. _Yep, I am __**so **__dead._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You guys are amazing. I was going to upload this chapter shortly after chapter one, but I closed the file without saving…Oops.**

* * *

"Adeline Whitlock, what were you thinking?" Jazz demanded. "I told you to call if you got sick, not take an ambulance! If someone finds out about what we're capable of…"

"I can't control it!" I hissed back, his anger fueling my own. "It's not my fault there's a boy with the emotional pull of a black hole in my homeroom! How the heck did you learn to control it?"

I had always known that Jazz had the same abilities, at least when he was my age. He was six years older than me, meaning that he had way more experience with whatever it was than I did. He rarely talked about it, preferring to tell me it was all to be expected. It was true that our grandparents were unbearable, but his main reason for taking me was to help me through the roller coaster that was our strange illness. It was also the reason he became a doctor.

"It stopped happening after I started drinking," he admitted, still pissed. "And no, that is not permission for you to start."

"Jazz, you told the judge I would be as normal as possible!"

"You becoming an alcoholic ain't normal, Addie! Why do think every Whitlock since Jonathan was an alcoholic? You're smarter than that, Addie!"

I was so angry that he hadn't mention that there was a cure—or that he was an alcoholic—that I couldn't help but scream, "You think I'm going to be different just because I'm the first girl born in the family since Adeline number 1, don't you, Jazz?"

He put his 'I-have-to-get-back-to-work' expression on. "Addie, I don't have time for this. I'm working maternity this week and I'm pretty lucky I could even get a residency where I would be allowed to regularly check up on you. I'm going to tell the ER about some things. If you even start to tell the truth, I am sending you back to Huston."

Our powers were the only thing that could make Jazz mad, and I never understood why. It's not like they were too difficult to hide, unless of course, you had to next to a black hole. It wasn't at all like our mother, who thought Jasper number 1 was still alive. No one was going to think we were crazy just because we got sick in high-stress environments. And, from what I knew of it, high school was a high stress environment.

I thought Jazz was just going to tell the doctor about my latex allergy or something, but instead, I heard him whisper from the other side of the wall. "Dr. Cullen, I should warn you that my sister gets stressed very easily since our mother's death and is sometimes prone to want to make it 'all go away'. Please make sure someone keeps an eye on her."

Jazz was painting me to be a suicidal bulimic. That did not work so well with the 'sweet-Texan-with-a-dark-side' thing I was going for. If I had to get in touch with my real emotions, it would be very difficult. There would have to nobody within several yards, or lots of people practically crowding me.

The doctor entered and smiled, feeling concerned, but not to the point that he was going to lock me up. "Afternoon, Miss Whitlock. What seems to be the problem?"

_Oh, let me see, _I thought. _I feel other's emotions. My parents are dead and my own brother is trying to make me seem crazy_.

"It was probably bad almond butter, sir," I lied. "The school was only doing what was best for my wellbeing."

Like any good doctor, Dr. Cullen could tell I was lying. "Dr. Whitlock said this has happened before. You just moved here, correct?"

"Two months ago, actually. The guardianship paperwork needed to be worked out before I could go to school."

"When did the dizziness and stomach aches start?"

"A while ago. Honestly, it's gotten to the point that I don't care about much of anything anymore." Okay, that was the wrong thing to say.

What I said next was even stupider. "I want it to stop, but nothing I tried works. Tums, Pepto, motion sickness medication. Nothing. Really, I'm used to it. Can I go home?"

"You're brother is worried. I'd rather you stayed here overnight."

"Can I at least call my friend and ask for my homework?"

"Of course. I'm going to go start filing the admittance paperwork."

I picked up my cell phone from the stack of personal items, and then realized I didn't have her number. My phone beeped, saying I had a text.

_How r u?—Gretchen_

I hit reply.

_Admitting me. Bring homework? Please?—Addie_

_Sure. I'll be there after dinner._

* * *

I hated hospitals. They were dreary places, full of misery, pain, and people who had no desire to be working. Basically, they made me sicker than I already was and extended my stay. I was very lucky that this wasn't Huston Children's and only had a few beds per ward. There were very few people in the ER today, also a plus.

I still felt horrible. The emotions were practically imbedded into the walls.

_Wait, _I thought. _Since when could I feel residual emotion?_

I suddenly understood why all the Whitlocks were alcoholics.

My hospital stay would have been amusing, if I did not vomit every half hour. Around eight, a nurse brought in a stack of books. "Your friend stopped by and dropped these off."

"Was it Gretchen?"

"No, he said you'd know him as Hale. I think he's one of Dr. Cullen's foster kids."

I blinked. Apparently, I hadn't felt the black hole while my head was in the puke bucket. It was strange that I guy I hadn't been able to see clearly the one time a met him, brought me my homework. I didn't even know if Hale was his first or last name. Why was he being nice? Maybe he knew what he could do and once he realized it hurt me, he turned it off. Either that, or the back hole was a figment of my imagination and the almond butter really was bad.

The nurse read my expression easily. "You should get some rest."

"I'm fine, ma'am," I replied. I noticed a strange blind type thing above our heads. "Am I allowed to know what that's for?"

"No idea," she said off-handedly. "Do you need anything?"

"No, ma'am."

Since it was spring, I wasn't given the rumored luxury of a period for easing myself in. I didn't mind, compared to Grandmother Whitlock's homeschooling, the load was small. I finished it in two hours and then got up to turn off the light.

* * *

I woke up the following morning, still feeling horrible. Dr. Cullen came in, right as my eyes opened. "Good morning," he said softly.

"Good?" I groaned.

He looked down at his clipboard. "What's wrong?"

"Still my stomach and head…" I groaned again. This wasn't a feeling headache, it was something else entirely.

He stepped forward, taking my hand. His hand was freezing cold, but I didn't pull away. He gently lifted some of my skin. It didn't fall back right away. "You're dehydrated. I'm going have a nurse to get you a Gatorade and order a D5N.S. IV solution."

_A what? _I thought.

He must have read my expression. "Five percent dextrous point nine percent saline."

"You're going to put sugar and salt into my veins?"

"Yes, we are. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

I wanted to tell him so badly, but I knew I couldn't. He worked with my brother; it was just too risky. "Is Jazz still mad at me?"

"Your brother didn't seem angry when I saw him at the staff meeting. Why would he be angry with you?"

"Our family is a little different, sir. We have certain things we can't tell outsiders. It's been that way for generations. Since the War."

"I would assume that you are referring to the Civil War."

"Yes, sir. How did you know?"

"One of my sons spent several years in Texas."

I felt a smile form on my face. "I would love to meet him when I go back to school in a couple of days. Does he go to school with me?"

"Yes, he does, but you'll be having a longer stay here than expected. I'm afraid we have to keep under 24-hour supervision for the next 3 days."

"72 hours…" I let my thoughts wander for a moment. "I knew it! What did my brother tell you?"

"It's just a precaution," he said, still perfectly calm. "True, Dr. Whitlock said some things that concerned me, but they told me more about him than you. He seems a bit young to be handling a new job and trying to raise a teenager."

"So are you and you have at least two teenagers," I snorted.

Dr. Cullen looked about twenty five, only four years old than my medical school prodigy of a brother. He was pale, blonde with looks that reminded of a billboard model. I would have found him handsome if he wasn't chalk colored. I knew it was dreary here, but that type of pallor was practically unheard of in Texas. I liked my men healthy and still in high school.

"I'm thirty-six, dear." He wasn't even frustrated. "And there are current eight teenagers and several young adults living in my home." We slipped into uncomfortable silence.

"What's wrong with _you_?" I said after what left like forever. "You didn't get the least bit frustrated when I was disrespectful."

"I've had to explain it before. It's not a problem."

"When people say that it's not a problem, they are either lying or are being sarcastic. You aren't. Either I can't—" I covered my mouth with my hand. "Darn it! I'm deader than that sunk that got into Dad's shed just after he died!"

Dr. Cullen laughed with genuine, kind amusement. "I think I understand what is happening. Do you know what empathy means?"

I shook my head. "Why would I need to know that?"

"Certain people have the ability to understand how others feel. Some can even feel it themselves. Those that are powerful are called empaths."

I spoke slowly, not quite understanding why he knew about my family's curse. "Can some of these _empaths _feel the emotions that have happened before they were there?"

"Not that I've encountered, but it's plausible. Are you trying to tell me something?"

"No," I lied. "Just curious. Can I go back to sleep now? I'm still tired."

"I'll be here if you need me."

* * *

After three days of boredom, doctors, and nurses, I was finally allowed visitors. My first was Gretchen.

"You won't believe what happened when I tried to drive your homework up here that first night!" she said right away, her emotions acting like Tums.

"What happened?" I asked, excited right along with her.

"Well, my car died on the side of the road and it started to rain. For about an hour, I couldn't get my car to start and I had no cell phone reception. Then, Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen pulled up behind me. Needless to say, I was surprised. They keep it all inside that family. It's like the rest of us don't even exist."

"And then what happened?"

"They both got out of the car and Jasper offered to take the books up here while Alice helped me fix the car. He didn't come in and talk to you all the times he's brought it in?"

"I haven't been allowed visitors," I said honestly. "My brother couldn't even see me. Did you say Hale's first name was Jasper?"

"Yeah. I've never heard him talk before, but he sounded a lot like you. Maybe you knew him before he was placed with the Cullens."

"Texas is _really_ big," I corrected. "I've never seen Hale."

"You sat next to him on your first day."

"I didn't get a good look. I was too busy trying to keep my breakfast down."

"You'll meet him soon enough. He was the one that told me you were allowed visitors now. He's going to stop by later today."

True to his words, Hale did show up a few minutes after I finished dinner. He knocked politely on my already open door. "May I come in, ma'am?" He was just far enough away that he didn't feel like a black hole. The combination of emotions was weak enough his emotions blended into the walls. Basically, I hadn't felt him come into the hospital.

I looked up from my math book and gasped.

Pale like his adoptive father, six foot Jasper Hale was slender but well muscled with angular features. His eyes were honey colored, but there was something familiar in his expression. I could even swear I recognized his nose.

"You look familiar…"

* * *

**More Authors Notes: I'm working on a version of this fic told entirely from Jasper's point of view, but I can't come up with a title. Right now, I'm going between **_**Reflection of the Moon **_**and **_**The Girl without Sunshine. **_**They might both be too long and **_**Grey Sky: Jasper's POV**_** is kind of stupid.**

**Any ideas? **


	3. Chapter 3

He took one step into the room, as graceful as a well-trained dancer. "Excuse me?"

I shook my head, knowing I couldn't actually give a name to the man he reminded me of. "It's nothing, Hale. And no, you main not come in."

"I should have noticed that you and I were alike," he replied quickly, as if he wanted to slap himself on the forehead. "I apologize for any harm I might have done."

I didn't feel the painful pull of his emotions, but I did feel both calmness and guilt. "I don't what you're talking about," I said quickly. "I mean, how full of yourself are you? I get sick a lot."

He looked skeptical. "Are you sure I didn't have something to do with it, Adeline?"

"Sure as I am that was unlawfully being watched by that little camera behind that blind." I pointed to the object I finally knew the purpose off. "Do I honestly seem suicidal to you?"

"No," he replied. "You're annoyed. I take it I should leave?"

"Yes, you should. I'll see you in school."

He left and I could help but wonder how weird he seemed. He didn't talk like a sophomore. No sophomore would ask if they needed to leave. Boys my age were never that polite. The boy my grandparents forced me to learn to dance with was twenty, not fifteen. They always told me that no one taught boys manners anymore.

It also didn't help that Hale looked at least eighteen. I couldn't decide if he had grown early or was stupid. He didn't act or look stupid, but something was off. I thought of Emmett, the Cullen in my one day of gym class. He was pale, just like Hale and the doctor. He was even bigger and older look than Hale. What was he going high school too?

"What are you thinking about, Addie?" my Jazz asked, coming into the room with a bag of clothes.

It took me five seconds to realize that every Whitlock had been blonde: just like Hale. "Where's my drawing notebook?"

* * *

I spent my weekend drawing Hale. Jazz came home to check on me and smiled. "You must have inherited that skill from the original Adeline."

"How did you know she could draw?"

"Mom and Dad used to show us, remember?" A brief moment of sadness stilled the room. "There's only one of them left." He went into our unused living room and took down a picture and put in my hands. "That's Jasper."

The drawing was faded, but I clearly saw a young Confederate soldier that looked eerily similar to my own drawing, expect without the dark circles under his eyes and a smile. "Are we related to anyone named Hale on the Whitlock side?"

"Whitlocks have been only children since Henry, Jonathan's son. You know that."

I showed him my own drawing. "Then explain why the guy in my homeroom looks the guy Adeline drew some 150 odd years ago."

"You're seeing things. Unless some illegitimate child was born somewhere along the way, we're the last of the Whitlock line. I've looked, Addie. I know you want to believe that Mom meant that Jasper had decedents, but she went crazy."

"Did you ever think to ask her what she meant?"

"Addie, I don't have time for you to act like an eight year old. You're fifteen! Think logically!"

"I'm not a med school at age fifteen mind, Jazz! I don't have a boyfriend or anything else to occupy my time, since you don't want me to go back to school!"

"Then get one!"

"Oh, so you rather I become sexually active than start drinking and go to school with vomiting?"

"Yes!" He replied. "I mean no! Damn it, Addie! I'm only twenty one! I'm trying to be responsible, but you're impossible!"

"I'm just curious! I mean, why else would he look so familiar?"

"Will going back to school keep you from looking into this?"

"Maybe," I said slowly, some of the anger webbing away.

"Maybe? Addie, didn't they teach something in those debutant lessons? Those kids are adopted. There's no knowing what's wrong with them."

"I need to know if we're related to this guy, Jazz."

"Don't put your nose where it don't belong, Adeline!" he yelled. "You're only gonna get burned! I'm going back to work!" He put his coat back on and went back to his car. It sputtered as he drove away.

A few minutes after the world became silent, someone knocked on the front door. I answered it and Gretchen was standing on my porch, soaked. "My car's dead again. Can I come in?"

"Sure." I stepped aside, letting her in.

"You look a little shaken. What happened?"

"Sibling stuff. Can I get you some tea or a towel?"

"Do you have coffee?" Gretchen asked.

"We don't drink coffee in this household, Gretch. Just tea. Do you want to borrow a skirt and shirt?"

"Do you have pants?"

"Unless you want to wear a pair of Jazz's jeans and a belt, no."

She walked into the kitchen and picked up the framed drawing. "Who's the Southern Hottie?"

"Great-great-great-great Uncle Jasper. He died in the War."

"1940?"

"1863. Major Whitlock of the Confederate Army, youngest officer, not counting that he lied about his age."

"Family must be a pretty big deal in Texas."

"Keep the secrets and you're entitled to the pride and inheritance money."

"Inheritance money?"

"What do you think pays for this house?" I gestured around the room. "The lawyer takes care of everything."

"So, you own no new clothes and yet your inheritance is large enough to buy a house."

"I'm fifteen."

"Good point. So, when you're eighteen you're going to be rich?"

"In theory." I shrugged. "Do you need to use my phone or something? You're soaking wet."

"Could I stay here for a few days?" she said quickly and quietly. "Sleep on your sofa or something?"

"We have guest room," I replied. "But it's Sunday. We have school in morning. Are you sure?"

"It's just till my parents stop fighting."

I couldn't feel that she was upset, although it was clearly written on her face. "You'll have to wear to wear one of my nightgowns while your clothes dry out in the bathroom. They haven't installed our new washer and dryer."

She nodded and asked where the bathroom was. I silently pointed at the door and she closed it firmly behind her. Why hadn't I felt that something that could be attributed to that type of thing? Sadness, disappointment, even irritation? It wasn't that she was impossible to read. I got happiness from her the day we met and that'll all I felt now.

Had she managed to put up a façade that could fool my cursed stomach? Did she have the rare ability to convince herself that happiness was the only way to go, despite the fact her life swirling down the toilet? Could Hale read her? Was my power starting to focus on imamate objects, like the stuff in the hospital, rather than people?

The land line rang. "Whitlock residence, Adeline speaking," I recited in my pageant voice. "How may I help you?"

"Yes, hello, Adeline. This is Mrs. Williams, Gretchen's mom. Have you seen her?"

"Yes, ma'am. She's in the lady's room." Then I lied, more for my friend's benefit than my own. "Her car broke down and even if we could get it running; it's wet and dark. I don't think she should be driving. Jazz offered to drive her home, but he's _really _tired. He said it was okay if she spent the night."

"That's sweet of you dear. Are you sure she's not angry or upset?"

"Not that I can tell. Do I need to take a message?"

"No, Adeline. Thank you for helping my daughter. Don't stay up too late. You have school in the morning."

"Alright. Have a nice evening, ma'am."

"Sleep well." She hung up.

Gretchen came out of the bathroom, her hair dried. "Where are your clothes?"

"Master Bedroom. Come on." I jogged up the stairs and she followed.

She caught up to me as I entered the room. The house came pre-furnished and my room had a large canopy bed with lofty white curtains, a pretty vanity, and its own bathroom and closet (I doubted the last two were original to the house). Jazz's room was actually an office with a futon he bought, simply because he never home. The guest bedroom was a variation of my own (with two twin beds and no bathroom).

"And your brother owns this place?"

"We're renting and if we did, no. He's not in the will. The lawyer convinced the owner to let the rent go toward the price, so if I choose, I'll own it by the time I'm twenty."

"Why isn't your brother in the will?"

"Not entirely sure. He says it's none of my business. What's going on with your parents?"

"The ministry's not going very well," she admitted. "Dad's trying really hard but it seems like every Sunday there are less people. I'm the only one our age there."

I never liked church. People there were always guilty, moved to tears, or smug, but I had feeling that was where I was going to be next week. "Why didn't you tell me you were a reverend's daughter? I'd love to come along!"

One bright side of constant lessons on mannerisms is that you also learn to lie while seem perfect sincere. It's like sarcasm, but better. As long as you sound like your brain usage is average for your species, pageant judges and most teachers will believe anything you say.

In that moment though, I was actually trying to help her feel better. If I was unable to see her face, I wouldn't have known. I had come to rely on my sixth sense when dealing a single person. I wanted to know how Gretchen could hide it and why she felt she had to. No one else kept their emotions from me.

"I'm here for you, you know."

Gretchen looked shocked. "I don't want you to feel obligated to help me, Addie! You've got your own problem!"

"What problem?" I asked. "I don't have much to deal with now that I'm out of the hospital."

"Jasper, of course."

"My brother?" I asked, surprised. "Why is my brother a problem?"

"Jasper _Hale_." I should have known. "You know; that guy that you sat next to in homeroom?" She didn't wait for me to reply. "He sent the entire week staring at your desk. You _have_ to tell me what's going on between you!"

"I don't know. He's sort of a mystery. I mean, I barely know the guy."

"If he asks you out, you have to say yes. I mean he's like H-O-Double-T hot."

"One, he's not my type, Gretchen and second, didn't you say he was seeing a Cullen?"

"They're living together actually. People who spend that much time together snap eventually. You need to be there to pick up the pieces."

"Why can't you be there?"

She laughed, and I realized I was missing. "Because, silly. You're the only girl that boy has even _seemed_ interested in. He called your doctor seven times."

"My doctor was his foster dad, Gretchen. Of course he'd talk to him."

"He kept asking about him about _you_."

The heat rose to my face and it was not the cute type of blush. It was the kind where your face turns red as a tomato. I held my face in my hands. "What am I going to do?" I muttered to myself.

"It's not that bad, Addie. I mean, the worst he could do is cry when you say no."

"It's not I'd say know normally, Gretchen," I admitted. "It's just that I think we're related."

"You lied when you said you didn't know in Houston?"

"I didn't know him, but he looks like another family member. I'm not entirely sure what to do about it. Jazz told me not to look into it, but…"

"Why don't you ask him tomorrow in class? I mean, it can't hurt."

"Jazz'll send me back to Texas if I try. He says 'don't put your nose where it don't belong, Adeline.' If Hale tells his dad that I'm looking into their family's business, Jazz will find out."


	4. Chapter 4

**You are all amazing. Special message at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

The following morning, the sky was grey but delightfully non-wet. Everyone's moods were up, meaning mine was too. Gretchen and I walked to school (her car had been parked there overnight) and walked into classroom twelve ten minutes early.

"Whitlock!" Philips barked. "Where have you been?"

"Sick, sir," I groaned, my mood dropping ten-fold and my stomach growing weak. "I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, remember? I've been there all week." Frustration seeped into my voice.

"It appears that I need to give you another five days of detention on top of the eleven you already have."

_Sixteen, _I groaned internally. _I'm not even sure what detention is, for heaven's sake! What does this guy have against me? _I didn't act on my thoughts, knowing I would get in even more trouble.

Although I hadn't heard him come in, I heard Hale's musical voice say, "Mr. Philips, you're being unreasonable. Adeline hasn't done anything wrong."

In a swift graceful motion, I turned, my skirt twirling out just far enough to brush his leg. "I don't need you defending me, Hale! I'm perfectly capable of defending myself!" I narrowed my eyes. "And there are certain situations where it isn't acceptable or necessary!"

His dark (strange I had thought they were yellow the other day) eyes glowed in anger. "Pardon me for trying to stand up from someone that is clearly in over her head!"

The second he grew anger, he turned back into a black hole of emotion. I doubled over in pain, grasping Mr. Philips' desk so hard my knuckles went white. "Not again," I groaned, as my vision blurred.

"Adeline." An icy cold hand grasped my shoulder, gentle enough to be comforting but strong enough to be commanding. "Relax, breathe, block it out." Hale's commanding voice was just loud enough for my ears to hear. "Concentrate."

I turned to face him, trying to use the most serious face and tone possible. "Stay away from me, Hale," I hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm not afraid of you." Aggression was a feeling I rarely felt for myself. I prided myself in being polite, better at convincing people to do what I want using trickery rather than threats. Today, however, the threats came naturally. "If you don't back off, you're going to regret it."

The pressure from his hand left my shoulder and the stomach cramps faded away. "I'm sorry, Adeline."

"Too right you are!" I exclaimed, pointing at him. "I mean, could you be any more of a jackass? It's 2026! This ain't the Civil War bud! Pretty girls don't need big bad boys to protect them!"

I had said that in Texas before and nobody my age seemed to care, so I wasn't expecting his eyes to widen in surprise. "Excuse me?" he said softly.

"Chivalry is dead, Hale," I explained.

"Oh," he spoke slowly. "I thought you meant something else. Excuse me for a moment. I think I may have left something in my car." He stepped out of the room.

"Okay," Gretchen replied. "Hot or not, that was creepy. What's going on with him, Addie?"

"How am I supposed know, Gretch? I barely know him!"

Philips gave each of us a pink slip and then wrote a third and handed it to me. "Miss Whitlock, find Mr. Hale."

I nodded obediently and rushed into the hall, smacking into the imposing form of Emmett Cullen. "What do you want?" I demanded.

"I was going to tell Mr. Philips that my brother Jasper had to suddenly respond to an emergency," he replied. His mood actually had no urgency.

"That's funny," I replied. "I was about to give your brother this detention notice. It appears that he does not approve of people standing up for themselves or for others."

"I'll make sure he gets it."

"I don't think you understand. Your brother is in a boat load of trouble and it's my fault." I thought for a moment. "Not that I feel that I need to apologize. Your brother is a jackass." I put it in his hand. "Tell me to stay the hell away from me."

"Trust me, he will."

* * *

No one saw Hale for several days. I went from class to class to detention without much thought, taking notes and ignore the hatred that oozed off Philips. Detention turned out to be two hours of thinking about what I had done wrong. Gretchen was with me for the first few days, but then her punishment soon ended.

After my first week among the few trouble makers of our town, I walked home in the rain and discovered that Jazz was at home, a rare occurrence.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Dr. Cullen suggested I take a few off," he mumbled.

"A few what?"

"Days, maybe weeks. He could smell the whiskey. Said nobody else would be able to tell but I should learn to control my drinking."

"Why didn't you tell him why you had to drink?" I asked. "He already expects that there's something going on. He called me an empath. Someone who feels others emotions. He knows. He could help us."

"You told him!" He stood, yelling at me. "You know better than to tell someone the secret! The wives of the Whitlocks weren't even allowed to know!"

"I didn't!" I yelled back. "He offered to help me while I was in the hospital! I told him I didn't know what he was talking about but I think one of his sons is like us but I haven't asked him! I swear, he looks just like Uncle Jasper!"

"Are you still putting your nose were it don't belong, Addie?" he groaned.

"They can help us! I honestly can't stand him but if it helps, I'll learn to live."

"You don't understand, Addie. The Cullens ain't human!"

"Then what are they?"

"I don't know! There's something off about them, that's all!"

"So what if they're a little pale and the doctor could smell alcohol on you? Maybe he just has a sensitive nose!" I paused. "And if you think they're not human, who's to say we're not related to Hale?"

"Addie, don't be an idiot. We're not going to talk about the Cullens anymore."

"Why not? I mean, we used to gossip all the time back in Huston."

"We're adults, Addie!"

"Am not!" This was a very strange thing to be arguing about, but I was only fifteen and was beginning to hate this conversation. "And we're not gossiping. We're having a talk about the species of your supervisor and his family."

"Addie, trust me. Once you start to feel your own emotions, you'll be able to pick up on these things."

"You won't let me drink!" I replied. "I'd be able to know for myself if I could just have one shot or a beer or something!"

"You know why Dad's car crash happened, Addie. Do you want to die like that?"

"I won't." I had been in the car during the accident. True, I had forgotten every little detail, including whether or not he had alcohol that night. All I know was that I was thrown from the car before it burst into flames. That, of course, was only second-hand knowledge. "I don't want to learn to drive."

"Addie, don't fight me. Go to bed."

"It's five and I have a boat load of homework. I'll sleep after I'm done with biology."

My room was delightfully quiet. I checked my e-mail, finished my homework, looked into colleges and then started to think about how to handle the situation with the Cullens. I couldn't understand why Jazz seemed to hate them so suddenly. Dr. Cullen seemed nice enough and Emmett was only a little weird. I hadn't met the others yet but other than the emotional black hole thing with Hale (who hadn't returned to school yet) no one seemed to be negative.

I didn't know what to do to convince him that people I honestly didn't like were okay. I could invite them to dinner but I wasn't entire sure they liked the same type of food I did. I didn't even know how if I had enough food to feed all of them. Maybe I could just ask Hale and his girlfriend or maybe Emmett and whoever he was seeing. They were the only two I knew.

* * *

I walked into homeroom the next morning and surprisingly saw Hale sitting in his place near my seat. I sat down. "Hello, Hale. Glad to see you're back," I said sarcastically.

"Good morning, Adeline. How are you?"

"Did you lose your memory, Hale?" I replied. "You doubled my detention load. I still have 25 days to serve! Why would I want to be pleasant?" My plan wasn't to flirt with Hale obviously. I was thinking about picking one of the boys I hadn't met yet.

"I was given sixteen. I thought maybe we could—um ah hang?"

"You don't hang out in detention, Hale. You can't even talk. Have you ever gotten detention before this?"

"Honestly, Adeline, no, I have not had detention before. I consider it one more life experience."

Okay, Hale _was _weird. That was one trait he and his brother shared. "It's boring as hell, Hale. Do you know what it's like sit around and think for two hours without an mp3 player?"

"You have no idea," he whispered, almost too low for me to hear.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing," he lied.

"I can tell ya—"

"Hale! Whitlock!"

I snapped my head toward Philips. _Oh crap. _"Yes sir?"

"Don't be a suck up, Whitlock. Do you want detention until June?"

I shook my head and looked over at Hale. He was shaking with silent laughter. When the bell rang, we left. He stopped me right outside the doors to the gym. "Adeline?"

"What, Hale?"

"How's your brother? Carlisle said he took a few days off."

"Jazz is—well—he's a Whitlock. I don't expect you to understand."

"He's drinking isn't he?"

"My brother's habits aren't any of your business, Hale!" I glared at him. "And I know that you were laughing at me earlier!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am." He dipped his head, and his accent shone through.

"You're the one from Texas!" I exclaimed.

"Right you are, ma'am."

"Stop calling me ma'am, Hale. I gave up on being a lady months ago."

"Only months?"

I chuckled. "Okay, Hale. You're a sweetheart. Really, but I think—"

"We're related," he said suddenly. "My girlfriend discovered the connection. I believe we're second cousins."

"You were named after Uncle Jasper like my brother?"

"Possibly. I haven't spoken to my biological parents in what feels like centuries."

"You seem better adjusted to life without your parents than I am." I let my hair fall across my face. "My brother would probably never let strangers take me, although Mom's sister and brother-in-law offered to take me."

"You don't know them?"

"No. They live in Austin. Jazz and I were raised in Huston. Where are you from?"

"Houston as well. What school?"

"Homeschooled." The bell rang. "I have gym. See you at lunch?"

* * *

"What happened with Jasper?" Gretchen asked. "Did he ask you out?"

"He's my second cousin, Gretch."

Her lips formed a little 'O'. "You were right. Is the older Jasper mad?"

"He doesn't know yet." I passed the ball to someone. "We're supposed to be playing basketball here, not talking about my family."

"But your family is so interesting!"

"I bet yours is too." I stopped running and sunk onto the bleachers. "How is your family anyway?"

And so Gretchen threw herself into a description of their church, their home, and her friends back in Idaho. I didn't try to remember most of it. I was too busy trying to figure out what to do about Hale's sudden worked in my favor, of course. It wouldn't take long for me to convince him to tell me how to control myself or why my brother thought they weren't human. The problem was whether or not to tell the truth was simple but if I spilled the beans I could lose my family. I didn't have much left but I could certainly try to keep who I had. I didn't hate my brother after all. Then again, lying was sin. I didn't need to go to church to know that. I had a feeling they would know if I was lying. The doctor seemed to.

I walked around school, thinking about Hale almost constantly. I didn't trust him, but he was family. Family was the most important thing.

After detention, I blurted out, "Hey, Hale! Can we talk?"

The teacher sitting in on detention that day shot us glare. Hale nodded toward the door out to parking lot. "Outside," he hissed.

Once the other detention students drove or walked toward home, I blurted again, "I need your help."

* * *

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**As of 1:01 Pacific Time on September 29****th**** 2010, this story has 9 reviews. Any member who reviews after this time, any chapter, will get to know the title of the Jasper POV version! I will update the story when the review count hits fifteen!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, maybe nine reviews was a few too many to ask for, thank you for trying. I'll make the goal at the bottom of the chapter a bit easier. Also, there's JPOV upate. Read on.**

* * *

"With what?" Hale asked me, slowly. It was like he expected a certain answer but he didn't want it.

_Oh crap! Why the hell did I say that?_ In that moment, I was thankful I was skilled in the art of lying. I'd been developing the skill since I was little. I wasn't nearly as good as lying as Jazz, but getting the judges to like you during the open-ended question section required that you know exactly what they want you say, no matter how different it was from your own opinions. The trick was wrapping in truth.

"Do you know anyone who knows French?" I asked. "I have independent study with Mr. Philips and he's no help."

He looked, and felt, surprised. "Yes…" His voice trailed off. "I know French. Are you sure there's nothing else?"

Not answering that question would have made him suspicious. This was presenting itself as a perfect opportunity to convince Jazz the Cullens were human. "You want dinner? My house is a block or two from here and family takes care of family."

He got confused very quickly. "I don't understand, Adeline."

Why wouldn't an average modern man not know what dinner meant? When Jazz was half his age, Mom and Dad joked that he could eat anything. "I want to feed you. Do you have a chicken brain?"

A dark expression crossed his features and he chuckled creepily. It didn't seem like he thought my chicken brain comment was funny. "That isn't necessary."

Something—my intuition, maybe—told me to act like I hadn't seen anything. "That's okay. At least meet my brother. You're his second cousin too, remember?"

"Shouldn't he be at work?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Your dad suggested he took some time off." I paused. "You're sort of a Whitlock, right?" This was the only loophole I had. If I could establish that he was no threat to the Whitlock secret or was even a part of it himself, I could tell him.

"My maternal grandmother was the daughter of your great-grandfather." He felt guilty, but it didn't show on his face. It wasn't like he needed to be guilty either. He wasn't lying to me and he had no control over who is biological family was. All that mattered was that he lived with a great family now.

Okay, I didn't know if his new family was great. I didn't know anything about him, in fact. I didn't know what happened to his old family and why we didn't know about each other until a few weeks ago. Most importantly, I didn't know why I suddenly liked him.

I did remember something Gretchen told me though. "Don't you have a twin or something?"

"Rosalie." He spoke softly. "I don't she wants to befriend you. When I said that I wanted to approach you, she, well…"

"Flipped out?" I offered gently. "I know. Jazz was the same way. He seems to think your new family isn't human." I said it lightly, expecting him to laugh.

Instead, we slipped into uncomfortable silence as we walked out of the parking lot. "You live close to the school too?" I slowly formed my question.

"No, but I'd rather walk home."

I snorted. This boy was being stupid. The sky was already turning dark grey, a sign of a thunder storm. "No, you're not." I shrugged. "You're calling someone and if you can't reach them, you're staying at my house."

"That's unnecessary," he said loftily.

"You and your sister might be entitled to part of the family heritance," I shrugged. "That's what's paying for the house. You're also my family. I'm not letting you walk home in the rain. Don't try to argue with me." I handed him my cell phone. "Call your parents for a ride or tell them you're staying me. Your choice."

He pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons. "Hello, Esme. Adeline's insisting I call you for a ride home."

The woman said something to him.

He frowned. "If you must. Five minutes?" Then, he hung up. "Happy, Adeline?"

"Yes." I smiled the widest smile I had in awhile. "You better get used to it. Family is big deal. And Rosalie, tell her to be ready. I'm not going to stay away from her for long."

"It's been noted." His reply was cold and hard. Then, he whispered, "Why does she have to be so persistent? Can't she tell that this is not supposed to happen?"

I knew he didn't mean for me to hear it, but it still hurt. I wasn't connected to my grandparents or Mom's sister and Jazz was growing distant. I needed family and I was not going to go to Huston or Austin. The Hales were all I had, even if I just met them. He didn't seem to realize that. I fought back tears.

He looked down at me. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

"I heard that." I tried to speak harshly, but I sounded weak and small. I hated when it happened, so I turned away from him, hiding my pain.

His cold hand touched my shoulder. "I'm sorry, peach. I don't want you to know too much about us. It could endanger all of us."

There was something about my second cousin that made it easy to say what came next. We were silent for several second then I whispered, "I can do it too."

He looked surprised at my words. "What?" he whispered back.

"I've wanted to tell someone for so long but I was scared of my family abandoning me. I don't have anyone left, so it doesn't matter."

"You have your brother," he reminded me, hesitantly.

I let out a soft sob. Since he had come home that day, I had feeling I was losing Jazz. He sent all of this time in his office, not even asking for food or how my day went. It was like we were two people who just lived in the same house. I hadn't even realized until Hale mentioned it. "Not for much longer," I mumbled to myself.

A car pulled up, startling me. I stumbled back, and Hale grabbed my arm. "You're okay," he whispered. "Nothing's going to happen."

I wrenched my arm away, straightened and plastered on a smile. "Is that your new mom?" I asked.

A tall pale woman with beautiful brown hair got out of the nice car and (a Mercedes Hover 25x, I noted) approached us. "Is this Addie?"

He nodded and I said, "How do you do, ma'am?" and offered my right hand.

She shook it. "I was surprised to learn that Jasper had family. Pleasantly, of course. Do you have any plans this weekend?"

It was Friday already? Wow, talk about clueless. I still hadn't gone to church with Gretchen. "I'm going to church with Gretchen and practicing my French."

"Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow? Your brother is back at work and you can't possibly spend the entire day alone." Both Hale and I looked at her in surprise.

"What?" we said. He was offended and I was shocked.

"I don't know why the others haven't approached you at school, but we would all like to get to know you. You're going to be family."

"Thank you," I breathed.

Hale was furious. "Esme…"

She gave him a look. "Carlisle and I are stepping in here, Jasper. This will increase the chance that nothing will go wrong."

It was clear that they knew something I didn't. I considered asking them but my natural tendency to be polite on the surface won. "I should be getting home. Homework and whatnot."

Esme's smile tightened. "You can do your homework at our home if you want, Adeline. You don't have to be alone." The genuine kindness and compassion oozed off her. The positivity made me a happy sort of dizzy, but I wasn't going to act on it just yet.

"Thanks but I should ask Jazz. He's my legal guardian and I haven't been treating him that way. I should start." I wiggled my phone. "One moment." I stepped far enough away that I didn't think they would hear me and dialed one of the two numbers on my phone.

"Dr. Whitlock," my brother answered.

"Hi, Jazz. It's me. I was wondering if I could hang out with Dr. Cullen's kids today."

"You're asking my permission to do something?" He sounded surprised…and suspicious.

"Yes, I am," I replied. "You said you were trying to be responsible. It's a two way street."

"What do you want?" he sighed. "I wasn't born yesterday, Addie."

Part of having a genius for a brother is dealing with the fact that he hardly acts like he's only twenty one. "Honestly, I just want to go over to the Cullens."

"Alrighty, Addie, but you might get a call from Auntie Joe."

"Who?" I asked softly.

"Ma's sister. Look, this has me all stressed and some of the patients are think we all are dumb because my accent is coming back. Without the alcohol, I'm a damn mess."

"You're sober?" I whispered in shocked.

"Dr. Cullen would only let me come back if I tried. The pain is ten-time worse than I remember. Does your vision blur?"

"A lot," I replied. "Hale can help, really. His grandmother was a Whitlock."

"I don't want to deal with family members right now, Addie. Be home by eleven." Then, he hung.

My phone rang with the tone that singled that I was getting a video call. I answered and the face of woman that looked about thirty-five floated above the screen. "Addie Rae?" she asked. "You've grown."

"Who are you?"

A boy pushed the woman aside. "Howdy! You're pretty."

"Joey!" the woman exclaimed, her face appearing behind the boy's. "Don't be rude!"

The little boy's face disappeared and the woman—who I assumed was Auntie Joe—smiled sympathetically. "You're lucky that Junior didn't try to talk to you. He'd scare you."

I rolled my eyes and she laughed. "You are so much like Savannah. Do you still dance?"

I shook my head. Ballet had been my main talent in the pageant circuit and ballroom was critical to debutant life but since Dad died it hadn't been the same. I didn't reply.

"What's wrong?" Hale asked from his car.

"Nothing!" I called back.

He strode up beside me. "Adeline, I can—"

Auntie Joe cut him off. "Who's this, Addie?" she asked. "Don't tell me you're old enough for a boyfriend!"

"I'm turning sixteen in a week," I replied. Then I thought; _it's March already? Holy crap!_ "The girls on those pregnancy shows are my age."

"Hello, ma'am," Hale mumbled, rubbing his neck. "My name is Jasper Hale and I'm not her boyfriend. We've been serving detention together."

"Detention?" she raised one holographic eyebrow. "My-my Miss Addie. Where did my sweet little niece go?"

"Last time I saw you I was six." I shrugged. "Look, I gotta go. It's Friday night, ya know."

"Bye, sweetie." her face fizzled away.

If I had been sitting, I would have slouched. "I shouldn't have answered that." I ran my hand down my face. "She better not call Jazz. If he thinks we're dating, we're both dead."

He smirked. "Adeline, your brother seems too smart to fall for the gossip of one housewife."

I replied instantly. "How long as it been since you've been in Texas, Hale? Trust me, my brother may be a genius but he is not that type of smart. It seems that I am back to plan one for a different reason."

"Plan one?" Hale asked.

I laughed flatly. "I was going to shamelessly flirt with one of your brothers so he would date me so my brother would think ya'll were normal. Now I need to do it so he knows I'm not dating you."

He laughed openly. "You can certainly try but my brothers won't date you. They're all taken. No one else in the county will either. You're an outsider to them." Suddenly, his holograph went off. A little pixie faced girl with spiky hair greeted him with a smile. "Hi, honey."

"Emmett's up for it and Rose isn't too freaked out. It's not going to be real anyway," she replied quickly.

"With what?" we both asked.

"Plan One, silly. Come over. You'll like us, I swear!"

**

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**

**Let's see if we can get to twenty reviews, okay? JPOV is at chapter 3 right now, but I can't upload until I certain point in this story or it will ruin everything.**


	6. Chapter 6

**The review goal was hit so fast, I thought I should reward you. Chapter itself is shorter but there's a detailed explanation the Whitlock family power at the bottom of this chapter that should make up for it. Let's go for thirty five reviews or Wednesday (whichever comes second) because I want a bit more time to edit and add detail. Oh and, just because someone else has hit the review goal doesn't mean you can't review. If those of you who simply alerted or favorited this story reviewed as well, I would be a very happy author! **

**Digital Hugs, **

**KL**

* * *

Hale hung up his phone and I silently followed him back to his mom's car. "Are you okay, dear?" she asked me.

I shrugged. "I'm supposed to come home with ya'll. Do you mind?"

The car ride to the Cullens' place was tense. "Who was that? How did she know what was going on?" I asked Hale hotly. "And who the hell does she think she is? My plans are my business!"

"Alice. She's good at that. My girlfriend," Hale replied effortlessly. His responses reminded me of mine. Well rehearsed and said quickly, so that multiple facts got smashed together and the person being lied never really caught on. My cousin was good, but so was I.

"I believe you," I lied, also not hesitating.

Uncomfortable silence was becoming quite common between Hale and I. It was strange because I had so much I wanted to ask and tell him. Normally, I'd openly ask but there was something off. It was more than the occasional black hole effect. He could be sensitive when he wanted to but overall was cold. He looked and acted way older than he was and he could lie.

I didn't know what happened to his birth parents so strange behavior might be understandable as well as the added maturity. I doubted the lying came from the family line. It's the nurture vs. nature thing. Oh, yeah, and my Jazz has no lying abilities whatsoever. He got the brains; I got the skills. Although sitting in that car, I silently wished it was flipped. Jazz would be able to figure it out but I was stupid.

"Are you all right, Adeline?" Hale asked softly. "You look confused and we're here."

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "Sorry, I'm a blonde, you know." I hadn't realized that we even made it out of town, let alone at the large sea-side house. If it hadn't been cold and wet, I would have been homesick. I got out of the Mercedes and was greeted by the bear-like Emmett Cullen.

"Hi!" he greeted. "I'm your new boyfriend!"

* * *

"Grandma Whitlock always says to wait at least a week before saying yes to a newly singled man and never to date one who's been accused of cheating or broke up with the girl before you," I told the Cullens as we discussed plan behind the perfect method to convince my brother—and the entire county—they were normal.

That ended up being the reason Rosalie was okay with the idea. People in town didn't take to kindly to couples living together before marriage, especially if they had the same legal guardians. "Before I came to live with the Cullens," she explained. "I lived in a world that was focused on image. I try to ignore the stares but it'll be nice for things to change."

When she said this, the others all stared at me. They seemed to share a shocked silent conversation but Alice Cullen was smiling from ear to ear. I watched this interaction in respectful silence. The family was complicated. I hadn't even realized they were paired off before it was explained to me. It was clear that I did not pay attention to the inter-workings of the town.

At first, I wasn't sure Emmett could handle the seriousness of the impending cafeteria break-up scene. We were P.E. together and he never seemed to take that class seriously. Then he said (in near perfect French), "For someone so strange, you're absolutely striking."

I blushed. "Oh. Um. Rosalie, are you with this? Your boyfriend is flirting with me."

All of the Cullens were beautiful, but Rosalie was the prettiest. She was almost six foot tall with blonde hair like mine and eyes as golden as her twin's. Her skin almost shimmered in the faint light and she was even cool looking in a sweater vest the same color as the sky, grey. She was the only person I knew that could pull that outlandish of a look.

"He's just practicing," she assured me. "He's got a large mouth and well, he can be an idiot."

"It sounds like you're in love," I replied with a laugh. "It's almost like you're married."

The Cullens liked looking like they knew something I didn't. I was pretty sure they did. It was happening too often. Added to dark looks Hale occasionally gave me when I said something harmless, I was starting to fear their expressions. Copper-haired Edward gave me another one of those looks. He whispered something to his girlfriend and she nodded.

"Nothing's going to happen yet," Alice assured them loftily.

I spoke before thinking. "Now I see why my brother is thinkin' ya'll are a bunch of weirdoes!"

* * *

**You're probably thinking, "Is she really going to make her explanation of Addie and Jazz the Younger's (that's what I call her brother) powers over a 1000 words long?"**

**The answer, "No, probably not." I'll try, but I'll be lucky if I reach half that. I don't want to ruin the entire story by explaining too much but I will be explaining some things that will never come up in the story. **

**As a reminder, we'll start with Jasper the Elder and Jonathan. I'm not quoting SM or the books directly but it's all based on her ideas. As a human, Jasper the Elder was very charismatic but not an actual empath. This translated to an empath with the power to control emotions, not just read them. In my mind, Jonathan was creepy. Addie doesn't know this and Jasper the Elder doesn't remember. Jonathan had the potential to be an empath, given that he was hyper-sensitive, but his behavior and the lack of being a vampire blocked the gift.**

**Here's where I have to be careful about what I write. Henry was born during Jasper the Elder's human years. Henry's mother, ***** (is not length of name, by the way), was a combination of the two, in a much weaker package. When Jonathan and ***** had a child, it became a genetic mess. Overtime, the pain-inducing empathy was diluted, thus causing it to not show until puberty. Both Jazz the Younger and Addie show this trait.**

**Only Addie can feel residual emotions, which she got from her mother, who was able to feel dead people's presences in locations filled with death (such as battlefields, old buildings, and hospitals). Addie can therefore feel the most painful emotions left in similar locations. Jazz the Younger doesn't have it because he is a dude. Savannah Smith was adopted so no one else in her family has it either. **

**If you've discovered who ***** is, do NOT review about it! If you want to know if you're right, send me a private message.**


	7. Chapter 7

**My French is horrible and I'm trying to do this without an online translator. I'm failing, obviously. Thank you Google. Oh, yeah, and I lied. I'm not going to get anywhere near 32 reviews if I don't put up another chapter anyway. PS: I don't have to put the lines in. Deal with the words until I have more time, please :)**

Grey Sky Chapter 7

Hale stared at me, and Emmett was laughing his head off. "I can't believe it only took her a month," he said breathlessly.

"She hasn't figured it out yet, Emmett," Alice corrected. "Now, hush."

I looked at her. "I don't want to know, do I?"

The entire family shared a look that I was sure I was going to see a lot over the next few years. Whatever it was, they weren't going to tell me. I was already being nosier than I should have been; why not stick my nose in a little further? It was too late to pull back.

Line

I couldn't completely recall the rest of my day with my cousins' new family and they certainly didn't let me ask questions about them. I spent Saturday with them and it was a bit more memorable. Mostly because I discovered my French was terrible and that I should have started public school sooner.

"_S'il vous plaît passer le temps d'attente ...Comment! dites-vous _salt?" (Could you please pass the…Wait! How do you say salt?)

"That depends," Hale replied.

I mumbled something (in English) I didn't even understand and hit my head on their gorgeous (and huge!) dining room table. My entire day was focused on French table manners. Instead of teaching me just the words, I was actually learning how to act _in_ France. "I'm taking a foreign language to get into college. I'm not actually going to go to Paris," I said for the umpteenth time that afternoon. "I don't even have a passport."

"We can change that easily enough," Alice said, slipping into the kitchen.

Hale looked at her and smiled sadly. "She's a minor, Alice. You know we can't take her to Paris."

There it was again, the feeling that I was in the dark. I didn't like being lied to, but I knew it was probably karma or something. That didn't mean I was going stop lying or take the punishment lying down. I was just going to act like it wasn't bugging me. I acted like I didn't hear them and turned to a random page in my French dictionary.

"Adeline?" Hale asked softly once Alice stepped out of the room. "Have I done something?"

I didn't look at him, not sure if my face showed any frustration. "Is nothin', Hale."

He didn't believe me and said, "Perhaps you need a break. Did you sleep last night?"

Thinking back, I hadn't slept well at all. Jazz had been called in to deliver an emergency baby and I had so much going on my head. Not to mention that Auntie Joe had called again and forgot that Maine and Texas where in different time zones. _How is it that I'm still awake? _"I'm fine, Hale."

"Um…" It was strange that he was at a loss for words. "I am sorry, but your culture and mine are _different _but you are right in assuming that…"

"Spit it out already, Hale," I replied. "I'd like to beat the tortoise home if you don't mind."

"Your belief that family is important has reminded of a few things. I haven't been as responsible as I should be. Dr. Whitlock is hardly home and you're not exactly social. You're going to pretend to see my brother just to prove that you're normal, but you don't have to be normal. I know you were in the car when your father died."

How did he know that? Did Jazz tell Dr. Cullen or something? I felt my cheeks turn run in anger. How many people in this town thought that I was depressed? "That jerk," I whispered. Then, I realized that lying would only get me in a bigger hole. If I wasn't honest now, the entire town would know the truth by next month. "I wasn't in the car. I was thrown from it." I paused. "And no, I don't remember. Ask again, or about my mother and you'll regret it."

He looked like he was about to pat my back to comfort me, but I think he read my expression. "You were only eleven—"

I stood and threw my books into my bag. Why did he suddenly think this was his business? He hadn't even known me when my parents died. "I'm not a child, Hale!" I walked into the living room. "Can I get a ride home, Mrs. Cullen?"

I could tell that she had heard our conversation. "Sure, Addie. Is something wrong?"

"No," I lied with a useless shrug. "I need to do laundry."

Hale walked out of the kitchen. "Adeline, I'd rather you stayed here."

"Then stop putting your nose where it don't belong!" I exclaimed, quoting my brother. "You weren't there! We didn't even know you existed!" I started sobbing.

Mrs. Cullen wrapped me in a hug, her cold shirt catching my tears. "Jasper, I think you should step outside. I'll take her home when she's ready." The compassion coming off her seemed foreign. Physically, she was as cold and hard as her adopted son, like a statue, but her embrace was soft and real. "You're going to be alright dear," she assured me. "Jasper is just confused. He's trying to take reasonability for something that wasn't his fault."

"Is that why he's acting like he's older than he is?" I whispered. "Because he thinks he could have stopped it?"

She held me at arm's length. "He may not seem like but he's never forgiven himself for leaving his family behind."

"What about Rosalie?" I sniffed. "Ain't they twins?"

"Rose and Jasper have different views on life, dear." She wiped away a tear. "You look like you need to rest. Do you want to lie down?"

It was very tempting, but she had changed the subject. I didn't like that these people were keeping secrets from me when they seemed to know everything. My past was my past and I was fully entitled to tell my cousins but it was no one else in the family's business. Hale and Rosalie's family or not. No one needed to know that I was an empath unless they were one too.

"Addie?" Mrs. Cullen said again. "Are you alright?"

I was going to say us but it came out as a pitiful, "No." I paused, trying to lie. "I don't feel good."

"Let's get you home, then."

Line

I didn't remember going home. I didn't remember falling asleep on the couch. I do remember waking up on the sofa, covered in an afghan and smelling coffee. "Morning, Addie," Jazz greeted. "Gretchen called about five minutes ago. Church is in 45 minutes."

I jumped up. "Oh crap!" I was still my clothes from the day before. "I don't have time to get ready! My hair is a mess! I'll barely be able to eat breakfast!"

"Calm down, Addie. You're making me sick," he growled. "You can call and cancel if you want."

I shook my head. "Whitlocks don't break promises. I know church and my—our—powers don't mix but Gretchen needs me. I haven't been the type of friend I should be." I quickly straightened my skirt. "Do you want breakfast?"

"Mrs. Cullen told me you fell asleep around two o'clock yesterday afternoon. I seriously think you're coming down with something. You rarely sleep." He put his hand on my forehead. "Let me grab the thermometer."

I grabbed his wrist and pushed him away. "I don't have a fever. I was just worn out."

"Then let me make your breakfast," he demanded. "And tell me about you're adventures with our resident non-humans."

"They seem human enough." I slipped into planned lie mode. This was my chance to get my brother to realize that they may be weird, but no one deserved to be called non-human. "In fact, one of boys is _really_ cool." I focused on the wall above Jazz's head. Emmett was okay, but he was kind of stupid. He wasn't boyfriend material at all, but at least he offered to help. "His name's Emmett."

"You're into the big one?" his eyes widened. "Addie, you're kidding me."

Technically, I was tricking him, but it didn't matter. He was right. I attacked my hair with my hair brush. "Look, I don't know what's going to happen, alright? You asked."

"Telling you can't go near the boy isn't going to help, is it?"

"You could get a shot gun. That would be very Texan of you, but we both know you're higher class than that." I walked into the kitchen and called over my shoulder, "Unless you want everyone to think we're as dumb as a bunch of armadillos!"

"They know we're not dumb, Addie! I'm a twenty-one year old OBGYN for goodness sakes!"

"Glad you finally made up your mind, Jazz. We're out of milk. No breakfast for me." I started up to my room. "Guess I can shower."

"Adeline Rae Whitlock, I'm talking to you!"

"And I'm not listening, obviously," I said level-headedly. His anger was starting to get to me and I could barely hold on. I gripped the wall painfully. "Can't this wait?" I barely managed to hide the pain in my voice. "I really need to get ready."

"Fine! But we're having a conversation about this when you get back!"

I showered. My entire head was spinning. I had never heard—or felt—Jazz yell so angrily. I was shaking and my stomach wouldn't relax. "Concentrate. Breathe. Relax. Concentrate. Breathe. Relax."

My pep talk wasn't working. I stepped out of shower and without drying off, made a voice-to-voice call. It was stupid, but it was also the only thing I could think of doing. Was I going to regret it? Probably. "Jasper Hale," my cousin greeted.

"Hi, Hale—I mean Jasper—It's Addie—I mean Adeline. Um—" I clenched the bathroom counter, my knuckles turning white. "I need you to help me start to control it."

"Control what?" he asked, faking cluelessness.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed rudely. "You know what I'm talking about, Hale."

"Adeline, I can't help you if you won't tell me what's wrong." He spoke like I was a child.

I growled, both in pain and frustration. "I'm in a lot of pain and if you don't stop being so freaking cryptic, I am seriously going to hurt you the next time I see you."

"It sounds like you need a doctor, not me."

"Your pa didn't help me last time, Hale and Jazz is causing this. He's pissed and well, I'm probably adding to it. I'm up a crick without a god-damn paddle here."

"It's pronounced creek, peach."

"Stop making fun of the way I talk! Meet me at the Sea Front Baptist Church in fifteen minutes!" I hung up.

Line

The church was a small building, old and brick. The building was slightly, well, crumbly. Given that it was so close to the sea, I wasn't surprised. Buildings on the Gulf Coast did the same thing sometimes and _we _had hurricanes. I guessed this building was older than the ones in Texas; Maine was a pretty old State…

"Hey, peach," Hale sat down beside me. "You talk like a sailor and yet here you are, sitting on a church's stoop."

"I don't want jokes, Hale. You're supposed to help me figure out how to handle this stupid empath thing!" I didn't like asking for his help, but I needed it. Despite wearing only skirts and wanting nothing more than to be a beauty queen, I wasn't found of asking people for help, especially boys. "And don't go all Southern Gentleman on me. We're family and I'm wearing jeans today. Oh, and drop the 'peach' thing. If you don't want to call me Adeline, you can call me Addie."

"For someone who needs my help, you're demanding, peach."

_What's with the teasing?_ "Why are you acting like my freakin' brother is supposed to?" I asked, hotly. "I don't like doing this and you're making it worse." I pulled my knees up to my chin. "I feel like shit and I'm scared Jazz is feeling it too. He stopped drinking, you know. Two empaths in one house is kinda hard…"

He got a sympathetic look on his face. "Honestly, peach, the only thing I can do is try to be positive when you're down. You don't have the brain power to control it yet. I've been working on it for—well, you don't want to know how long. If he's so worried about you having a boyfriend, you need to introduce him to Emmett."

"Is it really going to be that easy?"

"Alice says it will be." He spoke like it was fact, and for some strange reason, I believed him. He stood. "Why don't we go in? I will drive home after word."

That was my first cousin/family type moment with Hale and it actually felt nice. I walked into the building and didn't feel any negative emotions. My life was finally starting to look brighter.


End file.
